Someone's Dead

Teacher Zhao's home wasn't on the school bus route, but in a relatively remote part of Muyang City.

So Su Yang flagged down a taxi on the street and set off for Teacher Zhao's house.

At six in the afternoon, the sun was no longer as scorching as it had been at noon, and the temperature was just right.

Su Yang opened the window and let the warm evening breeze blow through his hair.

It had been a long time since he'd gone for a ride like this—the starting fare for a taxi was ten yuan, enough to pay for his usual lunch at school. He couldn't bear to spend it.

But things were different now. After all, everyone in the Soul-Reaping Bureau was filthy rich...

Men getting off work, elderly people out for a walk, and puppies rolling on the grass—the scene outside the window was lovely.

The corners of Su Yang's mouth lifted slightly. "Going for a ride in the evening really is a pleasure!"

Of course, riding in Zhao Shengshen's car was an exception.

The taxi driver was an older woman and quite talkative. As she drove, she chatted and bragged with a friend over voice messages.

"Oh, it's summer, you know. The flu gets pretty bad around this time every year. Old people and children are especially prone to getting sick."

"Yes, yes... Didn't Old Li miss work today? I heard he caught it."

The flu?

The driver's words made Su Yang raise his eyebrows. Has the flu been running rampant lately?

No wonder Ren Yexue and Teacher Zhao were both sick.

He wondered whether Ren Yexue would be able to come to class tomorrow...

Just as Su Yang was thinking about Ren Yexue, the phone in his pants pocket vibrated.

Su Yang took out his phone and looked down. It was a message from Ren Yexue. Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.

[Ren Yexue]: Oh! Sorry, sorry, I don't check my phone often. I only just saw your message.

[Ren Yexue]: Su Yang, what did you need me for?

Su Yang glanced at the previous message. It had been sent that morning.

Ren Yexue still hadn't come to class by then, so Su Yang had sent her a message.

The corners of Su Yang's mouth twitched. Ren Yexue's replies really did take a whole reincarnation to arrive!

His fingertips tapped rapidly on the screen as he typed out a message.

[Su Yang]: Nothing, I just wanted to ask why you didn't come to class today.

[Ren Yexue]: I wasn't feeling well today, so I took the day off.

[Ren Yexue]: I don't know why, but I keep smelling a terrible stench from under my bed. It smells like a dead mouse.

[Ren Yexue]: But I'm too weak to move the bed.

[Su Yang]: Mm-hmm, good luck pushing it, then!

[Ren Yexue]: ...

Just as Su Yang was looking at the messages, the taxi slowly stopped, and the driver turned to look at him.

"Young man, we're here! Please make sure you have all your belongings!"

Su Yang casually slipped his phone back into his pants pocket and got out of the taxi.

Teacher Zhao lived in the old district of Muyang City, so the residential compound in front of Su Yang looked quite rundown.

When he had just started high school, his class had held a team-building event. It had taken place at Teacher Zhao's house.

As it happened, Su Yang, who usually didn't care to participate in class activities, had attended that event. He still remembered roughly where Teacher Zhao's home was in the compound.

Following his memory and the address Zhang Qingxuan had given him, Su Yang made his way through the rundown compound.

"Building five, unit two, 8-5."

"This should be the place, right?"

Before long, Su Yang stopped in front of a building.

An old sign was nailed to the cracked plaster wall, with the words "Building five, unit two" clearly printed on it in large characters.

"I'd better call Teacher Zhao first!"

Su Yang took out his phone. The screen showed that Ren Yexue had sent a few more messages, but he didn't open them.

He found Teacher Zhao in his short contact list and pressed the call button.

"Beep..."

"Beep..."

"Beep..."

No answer?

Su Yang frowned and called Teacher Zhao several more times, but none of the calls went through.

"Don't tell me I came all this way for nothing?"

"Forget it. I'll just go up. If I can't find him, I can always go straight home."

Su Yang shook his head and walked into the residential building.

Since he was already here, he had to go upstairs and take a look. If he really couldn't find him, he could decide what to do then.

He entered the elevator and pressed the button for the eighth floor. Before long, Su Yang arrived outside Teacher Zhao's door.

The door was plastered with locksmith advertisements that had never been cleared away, making it look extremely messy and worn.

Su Yang cleared his throat, walked up to the door, and knocked.

"Teacher Zhao, are you home..."

As soon as Su Yang's hand touched the security door, it creaked open.

Teacher Zhao's door was open. It hadn't been locked.

Su Yang muttered, "Could a thief have gotten in?"

As soon as the thought occurred to him, Su Yang felt inexplicably excited.

If they were ordinary thieves, even ten of them wouldn't be enough for Su Yang to beat up!

The interior was pitch-black, without a single source of light.

Only by the light shining in from the doorway could Su Yang barely make out the scene inside—the living room was empty.

Although there was no one there, a strong, pungent stench reached Su Yang's nose.

"What's with this terrible smell?"

Su Yang's gaze sharpened. Covering his nose and mouth with his clothes, he stepped lightly into the apartment.

He reached out and flipped the switch beside the door. The light came on, and Su Yang could finally see the entire living room.

Su Yang carefully surveyed the living room but found no signs of it having been ransacked.

"Looks like a thief didn't get in, but why was the door open? Did Teacher Zhao forget to close it when he went out?"

Murmuring to himself, Su Yang slowly walked toward the inner room.

The closer he got to the inner room, the stronger the stench became.

By the time Su Yang reached the bedroom door, the stench was almost enough to knock him over. He felt the contents of his stomach churning.

"What on earth smells so bad?"

Su Yang gently turned the bedroom doorknob. He had already made up his mind: if there was no one in the bedroom either, he would turn around and leave.

The door slowly opened, and light from the living room entered the bedroom, bringing a sliver of brightness inside.

Su Yang saw a terrifying sight.

A man was suspended from the ceiling by a thick, slimy red tentacle wrapped around his neck.

Both his hands were desperately clawing at the tentacle, and his eyes bulged as though they were about to pop out, making him look utterly grotesque.

"Teacher Zhao?!"

The man hanging from the ceiling by the tentacle was none other than Su Yang's homeroom teacher!

Su Yang's eyes threatened to split at the corners. He drew a pitch-black saber from the void with his right hand, bent his legs, and sprang into the air.

A flash of saber light cut through the enormous tentacle, and Teacher Zhao's body fell to the floor.

Su Yang rushed forward and tore apart the tentacle wrapped around Teacher Zhao with all his strength.

When Su Yang's hand touched Teacher Zhao's neck, all he felt was the chill of his skin.

His body was as cold as iron.

The man had long since stopped breathing.

In the space of a lightning flash, Su Yang took out his phone.

[The most, most, most, most reliable Director]: Another reminder, everyone! Traces of the Fierce Ghosts' remnants have already appeared in other jurisdictions. We can't let our guard down!

[Miss Lina's number one simp, Zhang Dashuai]: Received!

[Miss Lina's number two simp, Li Dapao]: Recieved!

[Su Yang]: Someone's dead! Get here, quick!

In an instant, the group chat fell silent.